Line #25 Series/UltramanBlazar


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fyaf5s6aeaa5vyo_5.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''Ultraman Blazar.'' The codename for this unidentified giant alien.]]
3	->''[[{{Tagline}} "I've got this."]]''
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5	''Ultraman Blazar'' is a {{Toku}} series by Creator/TsuburayaProductions and the 35th entry of the long-running ''Franchise/UltraSeries''; it's the first stand-alone ''Ultraman'' show in ten years, with no direct ties to the New Generation Heroes series that was started by 2013's ''Series/UltramanGinga''.
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7	In a world plagued by monster attacks, the elite attack team [=SKaRD=] protects Earth from various threats. Things change when the captain, Gento Hiruma, ends up merged with Ultraman Blazar, an alien from the [=M421=] Nebula who arrives on Earth to help combat the threats to mankind. With the aid of [=SKaRD=]'s forces, which include the powerful mech, Earth Garon, Blazar and Hiruma engage in a fight for the safety of humanity.
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9	The series was released on July 8th, 2023. For the first time in ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' history, the series is airing with an English simuldub, utilizing Website/YouTube's new audio track feature. It stars Creator/JohnnyYongBosch as Gento.
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11	It is simultaneously broadcast[[note]]one week after its broadcast in Japan[[/note]] in seven major Asian regions (mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and India) and dubbed in the local languages.
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13	!!Recurring ''Ultra Series'' tropes:
14	* BigBad: [[spoiler:An odd case - technically the V99 aliens are this, as they are the ones who sent the invading kaiju waves with the intent of destroying Earth or terraforming it for their kaiju's needs; but are only doing so in retaliation over a past transgression by GGFJ director Yu Dobashi. They eventually stand down once Emi makes peace with them, leaving their final weapon, Varallon, to take the spot all for itself when it doesn't stand down with its supposed masters.]]
15	* CreatureHunterOrganization: Special Kaiju Reaction Detachment ([=SKaRD=]) was created to serve as a first response to any emerging kaiju threat, either by gathering data on them and assisting in their elimination.
16	* DefeatEqualsExplosion: Any Kaiju felled by Blazar will go out in a great explosion. Considering most of them die by getting skewered by his energy lance, the Spatial Burrade, it makes sense.
17	* HenshinHero: A staple of the franchise, Hiruma can transform into Ultraman Blazar.
18	* {{Kaiju}}: ''Blazar'' will be the first Ultra series in a while to have a plethora of brand-new monsters.
19	* {{Toku}}: This series plans to evoke a more realistic take on the series' tropes, not unlike ''Series/UltramanNexus'' but with some of the goofiness of recent installments.
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21	!!''Ultraman Blazar'' provides examples of the following tropes:
22	* BackToBaseForm: In order to persuade the approaching V99 armada that Earth isn't a threat, Earth Garon and Blazar [[SheatheYourSword discard all of their upgrades]], forcing them to wrap up the fight against Varallon with their original abilities.
23	* BreakingOldTrends:
24	** This is the first mainline series with a human protagonist that is both the team's captain and a family man. While ''Advertising/UltramanNice'' depicted the latter case with its main protagonist, and Reito Igaguri of ''Series/UltramanGeed'' was a father as well; the former series isn't a mainline installment and Reito was a secondary protagonist to Riku.
25	** Gento's transformation is streamlined, as he doesn't shout Blazar's name or do any sort of other {{Invocation}} that most other New Generation Ultras did.[[note]]like "[[Series/UltramanGeed You go! I go! Here we go! Geeeeeeed!]]" or "[[Series/UltramanTaiga Hero of light, Taiga! Buddyyyy, go!]]"[[/note]] Similarly, scenes showing Gento "inside" Blazar are kept to a minimum, only using them to show him using Blazar Stones; and even then they're first-person POV shots of his arms that keep as much offscreen as possible.
26	** Blazar is also the first Ultraman in years to not have any form changes. Instead, he occasionally gets a Blazar Stone that provides new weaponry.
27	** As a direct result of no form changes freeing up the show's budget, ''Blazar'' is the first series in some time to feature more new kaiju than old ones. The last few series introduced around three new kaiju each; while ''Blazar'' had ''thirteen''.
28	** As opposed to having a mecha based on a past kaiju or mecha of the franchise or reusing a prior mecha outright, [=SKaRD=]'s HumongousMecha, Earthgaron, is primarily based on [[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} MechaGodzilla]].
29	** The show's theme song doesn't play at any point in the first episode, instead merely showing the title of the series after the first few minutes without any music. And rather than showing the episode's name and title card after the opening, they are shown after the episode has ended while having nothing but an ominous cue as background music.
30	** Rather than willingly or instinctively transform into Blazar, it's more or less shown that Blazar ''forces'' his host to transform for the first time against his will, up to taking control of his body to ensure it.
31	** [[spoiler:For the first time in the franchise's history, the show doesn't end with the Ultra revealing their human identity to their teammates, separating from their host or leaving Earth. Instead, Gento keeps his identity secret and remains fused with Blazar on Earth.]]
32	* BreatherEpisode: Episode 13, ''[=SKaRD=] Nocturne'', combines this with ClipShow, intertwining footage from previous episodes with the [=SKaRD=] crew talking about a myriad of subjects, from their personal lives to pondering Blazar's relations with humanity. [[spoiler:That being said, the episode also teases a bigger mystery in a possible correlation between space kaiju such as Bazanga and Gebalga and an asteroid blown up by the GGF in 1999.]]
33	* BrickJoke: Teruaki's tomato bag in Episode 6 comes back in the latter half when it bounces around the [=SKaRD=] van while being held and shaken by Earth Garon.
34	* TheCameo: The monster Gankiryu from the 2023 indie kaiju short movie appears in an in-universe insurance commercial.
35	* CatchPhrase: Gento says "I'll go" whenever he's about to jump into action, and it's used as a series TagLine. The English dub modifies it to sound more natural for a native speaker, as "I've got this."
36	* ConnectedAllAlong: Episode 13 has Yasunobu talk about the conspiracy theory that Bazanga, Gebalga, and the meteorite from 1999 all come from the same planet due to following the exact same path to Earth. This is further compounded by the fact that Garamon's entry went through a completely different path.
37	* CreatorCameo: Series Director Kiyotaka Taguchi briefly appears in Episode 6 as a laundromat attendant who [[BackingAwaySlowly promptly leaves]] after seeing Yasunobu standing shirtless.
38	* {{Deconstruction}}: This show deconstructs the usual formula of the defense team failing to defeat the MonsterOfTheWeek and Ultraman appearing to save the day since this series puts into question if the defense team is actually needed if an unaffiliated alien does their job for them. This is especially not helped by the fact that [=SKaRD=] does not have a single kaiju kill on their own with director Retsu even stating that they could potentially disbanded if they don't give the results the higher-ups want.
39	* EatTheBomb: [[spoiler: In the final episode, several returning kaiju help defuse Varallon's bombs by eating them like fruit. Since these weapons were generated from Varallon's body, it's likely that they were biological in nature and thus edible, with none of the monsters injured at all during the process.]]
40	* EvilHand: Inverted in Episode 10. [[spoiler: As Gento as Blazar prepares to land a finishing blow on Demaaga, [[HiddenDepths Blazar]] takes control of his left hand and fights back to protect the kaiju.]]
41	* EvolvingCredits: As Blazar receives new power-ups and weapons, the show's opening credits evolve to include footage of those new abilities in action.
42	* FunWithAcronyms: The name of this series' defense team, [=SKaRD=], is short for '''S'''pecial '''Ka'''iju '''R'''eaction '''D'''etachment.
43	* GiantRobotHandsSaveLives: Yasunobu is saved from a fall by Earth Garon in episode 6. It does have padded material between its metal plates, so he could have lucked out and fell on those.
44	* GovernmentConspiracy: Starting in Episode 13, [[spoiler:the show reveals that the GGF swept the arrival of V99, a meteor carrying amorphous kaiju cells, under the rug. Said incident has been tied to numerous major events throughout the series up to that point, including Blazar's arrival on Earth, the creation of Leviera by a former GGF chemist and the waves of space kaiju denoted by Bazanga's and Gebalga's nigh-identical arrivals.]]
45	* IdiosyncraticMechaStorage: Inverted; Earth Garon doesn't have a "fold-up" mode, but its hangar accommodates that by having the cockpit entrance on its first floor.
46	* LowerDeckEpisode: Episode 22 only features the [=SKaRD=] team in two scenes outside of the monster battle, with most of the plot focused on a [[IntergenerationalFriendship struggling middle-aged insurance salesman befriending an elderly widow]] and trying to save her from dying.
47	* MildlyMilitary: [=SKaRD=] is explicitly an independent unit with the authority to act on its own, plus Gento takes a casual FirstNameBasis approach. The looser standards are often lampshaded by Anri, who is finding it hard to break old habits she had with her previous unit.
48	* Mystical108: [[spoiler:Zangill needs to help 108 rogue souls pass to the afterlife as TheAtoner. This is a reference to the number itself being significant in Dharmic religions such as Buddhism, where one must overcome the 108 temptations to achieve nirvana.]]
49	* MythologyGag:
50	** Mankind encounters Ultraman for the first time in this universe, and even creates his codename as a designation for the unidentified giant of light, akin to how Series/UltramanNexus was treated both during his series and in the prequel film ''Film/UltramanTheNext''.
51	** [=SKaRD=] members can pilot a reptilian mecha known as Earth Garon, its name being derivative of [[Series/ReturnOfUltraman Earthtron]] with both being based on Godzilla[=/=][=MechaGodzilla=].
52	** After awakening Garamon, the Cicada Men control the robot by playing an orchestral rendition of the opening theme from ''Series/UltraQ'', the show in which both Garamon and the Cicada people first appeared.
53	** Episode 15 is ''full'' of references to characters, plot points and even visual shots from [[Recap/UltramanEp15TheTerrifyingCosmicRays Episode 15]] of ''Series/{{Ultraman}}'', with both episodes featuring children's drawings giving birth the peaceful kaiju Gavadon.
54	** After Mogusion hits them with its [[SupernaturalFearInducer fear-inducing hand lights]], a group of power plant operators each describe the monster differently, with comparisons to, and cameos from, [[Series/UltramanOrb Basser]], [[Series/UltraQ M1]], [[Series/UltramanAce Barabas]] and [[Series/ReturnOfUltraman Takkong]].
55	** Episode 22 features Guigass and Red King, as a homage to ''Series/{{Ultraman}}'' [[Recap/UltramanEp25TheDreadedCometTsuiphon Episode 25]].
56	* PlanetOfHats: Discussed in episode 13 with Yasunobu finding it strange if Bazanga and Gebalga truly did come from the same planet due to how different their ecologies are, only for Emi to point out that it's no different from how animals from Earth work through using lions and dolphins as examples.
57	* PragmaticAdaptation: Episode 15 is essentially a ShotForShotRemake of Gavadon’s original appearance in Series/{{Ultraman}}, but with the building that gets graffitied in the original episode changed to a tent, because Tsuburaya couldn’t secure permission to temporarily vandalise a building.
58	* RevisitingTheRoots: ''Blazar'' deliberately abandons several of the traditions of the New Generation-era Ultraman shows (many of which are described in BreakingOldTrends above) and hews closer to the older entries.
59	** Unlike other New-Gen shows, ''Blazar'' doesn't feature any appearances from previous Ultramen or even other Ultras, being the first show to do this since ''Series/UltramanMax'' and ''Series/UltramanNexus'' respectively.
60	* RightHandVersusLeftHand: ''Blazar'' shows miscommunications and getting in each others' way as being just an annoying fact of military life. In the second episode alone, Emi complains that her instructions for special ammo of "fire one round up the nose" somehow got garbled into "two simultaneous rounds between the armor plates"; and when she and Gento went to get everyone transferred into [=SKaRD=], Yasunobu's info was outdated and he had ''already'' joined [=SKaRD=] a few weeks ago.
61	* ShoutOut: [[NotZilla Demaaga's]] fight against Earth Garon in order to protect its newborn offspring draws direct parallels between the final battle of ''Film/GodzillaVsMechagodzillaII''.
62	* SoldierVsWarrior: This is the contrast between Gento and Ultraman Blazar. Gento is a soldier working for a government organization to kill kaiju for the sake of peace, while Blazar represents the warrior since he is a hunter who fights against kaiju for sport and survival. This contrast is especially shown when the two disagree on how to handle a situation with Gento wanting to continue the fight against Gebalga to end the threat it poses to humans, while Blazar wants to run away since he knows Gebalga is too strong for them to beat, which causes the latter to forcefully take control and flee the futile battle.
63	* TakeThat: At the end of the series's first special episode, which follows a TV crew analyzing ''Blazar's'' first four fights, the team receives a phone call from their higher-ups to inform them [[ScrewedByTheNetwork their show has been replaced]] with an anime. This can be seen as a nod to ''Series/UltramanNexus'' having been cancelled by TBS due to poor ratings as a combination of a terrible time slot and competition against ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny''.
64	* TakingYouWithMe: At the end of episode 24, [[spoiler:a weakened Blazar attempts a point-blank Spiral Burrade against Varallon in order to defeat the kaiju.]]
65	* WhatDoTheyFearEpisode: Episode 16, "Terror From The Underground", features [=SKaRD=]'s members experiencing and, in the case of Gento and Emi, overcoming their fears courtesy of Mogusion's psychic abilities. These range from [[PlayedForLaughs gags]], such as Teruaki's fear of bean cakes, to [[PlayedForDrama more serious cases]], such as Gento having a vision of a burning Earth Garon and Emi having to overcome an illusion of a giant version of herself going on a rampage in order to help Blazar save the day.
66	* TheWorfEffect: Earth Garon could qualify to have this trope renamed after it. The robot fails to win in practically every fight it engages in, with Blazar always coming in to finish the Kaiju off (compare with [[Series/UltramanZ King Joe]], [[Series/UltramanTriggerNewGenerationTiga Nursedessei]] and [[Series/UltramanDecker Terraphaser]], all of which managed to secure a single victory against a foe their respective Ultras struggled with).

Context Series / UltramanBlazar